Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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; This invention relates generally to slide fasteners
and more particularly to an automatic lock slider therefor.
Many types of automatic lock sliders have been here-
tofore suggested and used, in which the locking member is
brought into and out of engagement with adjacent fastener
elements by rotating its associated pull member. More
specifically, the locking member of the prior art included
a downwardly extending projection disposed for engagement in
a limited space between adjacent fastener elements that have
been fully coupled together. This arrangement has a drawback
in that the locking projection when manipulating the pull
member to lock the slider, must force apart the adjacent
elements of the fastener and in doing so~ often damages the
elements especially where the latter is made of a plastic
filament.
It is therefore a primary object of the present inven-
tion to provide an improved automatic lock slider for slide
fasteners in which the above noted disadvantages of the prior
art are eliminated.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide
an improved automatic lock slider which is positive and
reliable in locking action.
Another object of the invention is to provide an im-
proved automatic lock slider which has a relatively flat
appearance and a minimum over-all thickness so as to with-
stand high compressive stress applied as by ironing or other
pressing operations.
; - 2 -
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According to the invention, an automatic lock slider
for slide fasteners comprises a slider body having an upper
and a lower wing connected by a neck portion, the upper wing
having a recess for receiving a leaf spring and a through
opening parallel with the leaf spring. A pull member is
pivotally supported on the slider body and has at one of its
ends a first cam held in abutting relation to the leaf spring
and a second cam parallel to the first cam. A locking mem-
ber is actuated by the second cam and has a locking prong
movable through the through opening into the path of fasten-
er elements and disposed in close proximity to the neck
portion when the slider is in locked position. A suppor~
stud extends upwardly from the recess adjacent to the through
opening and has a stop adapted to limit pivotal movement of
the locking member, the stud serving as a pivot about which
the locking member is rotatable.
The above objects and other features of the invention
will appear clear from the following description taken in
conjunciton with the accompanying drawings which illustrate
by way of exiample certain preferred embodiments which the
invention may assume in practice.
Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly cut away, of an automatic
lock slider constructed in accordance with the invention;
Fig. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of the slider
of Fig. l;
Fig. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken on
the line III-III of Fig. l;
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Fig. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken
on the line IV-IV of Fig. l;
Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the slider utilized to
explain the locking position of the locking prong relative
to the fastener elements;
Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but sho~ing a
modified slider construction; and
Figs. 7 to 9, inclusive, are sectional views utilized
to explain the function of the slider according to ~he inven-
tion.
Referring now to Figs. 1 to 4, there is shown an auto
matic lock slider 10 constructed in accordance with the
principles of the invention, which slider generally comprises
a slider body 11, a pull member 12 and a locking member 13
assembled together for use on a pair of fastener stringers
~not shown) to open and close the slide fastener in a manner
well known in the art. The slider body 11 includes an upper
wing 14 and a lower wing 15, the upper wing 14 having side
flanges 16,17 for guiding the fastener elements E (shown in
Fig. 5) in their travel through the slider as is well known
in the art. The wings 14 and 15 are connected at their one
ends by a neck portion 18 which also serves as a divider for
separating the coupled fastener elements in the openiny
movement of the slider 10. A pair of supporting lugs or
bails 19,19' are formed on the upper wing 14 on opposite
sides thereof to provide for connection of the pull member
12 which is hingedly connected ~o the bails 19,19' by a
hinged pin 20.
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The upper wing 14 has an elongated recess 21 formed
in its upper surface between the bails 19,1~'. A portion
21a of the recess 21 adjacent to one of the bails I9,19' is
adapted for receiving a leaf spring 22 as shown in Fig. 4.
Another portion 21b of the recess 21 lying parallel to the
aforesaid portion and adjacent -to the other of the bails
19,19' is adapted for receiving the locking member 13.
The pull member or tab 12 is provided at one end in
Fig. 2, with a first cam portion 23 disposed in abutting
relation to the leaf spring 22, and a second cam portion 2~
in a similar relation to the locking member 13 for a purpose
to be hereinafter explained.
The locking member 13 has a downwardly extending lock-
ing prong 25 adapted to project into the path of the fastener
elements E thereby to arrest movement of the slider 10 when
the pull member 12 is in its lowered or released position as
shown in Fig. 7, and to be retracted from the path of the
elements E thereby to allow the slider 10 to move in either
direction when the pull member 12 is in its raised position
as shown in Fig. 9, the operation of the locking member 13
responsive to the action of the pull member 12 being described
hereinafter in greater detail.
A first arcuate portion 26 is formed in the locking
member 13 contiguous to the locking prong 25 for engagement
with a complimentary peripheral contour 27 of a stud 28
extending upwardly from the recessed portion 21b o:E the
upper wing 14. The stud 28 serves as a pivot about which
the locking member 13 rotates as shown in Figs. 7 to 9.
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Extending obliquely upwards from the first arcuate portion :
26 is a sloped portion 29 adapted to come into abutting
engagement with a stop 30 formed integral with the stud 28
thereby to limit the pivotal movement of the locking member
13 when the pull member 12 is held in its raised position
releasing the locking action as shown in Fig. 9. The forward
end 31 of the locking member 13 is laterally bent to form
a hook 32 which engages in a cavity 33 formed in the pull
member 12 adjacent to the second cam portion 2~ thereby
preventing disengagement of the locking member 13 from the
pull member 12 during manipulation of the slider 10.
A second arcuate portion 34 is formed in the locking
member 13 in opposite relation to the first arcuate portion
26 for engagement with a complimentary surface or hump 35
projecting downwardly from the pull member 12, the hump 35
serving to quicken the locking action and at the same time,
cooperating with the stud 28 to provide for secure locking
position of the locking member 13 against the influence of
external stress applied to the slider 10.
There is formed a through opening 36 in the recessed
portion 21b of the upper wing 14, which opening communicates
with a guide channel 37 defined between ~he upper and lower
wings 14,15, and through which opening the locking prong 25
projects into the path of the fastener elements E.
The recessed portion 21b and the opening 36 define
therebetween a ledge 38 against which the rearward end 39
of the locking member 13 bears when the pull member 12 is
lowered to lie flat against the upper surface of the upper
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wing 14 to lock the slider 10, as shown in Fig. 7, the ar-
rangement being that when lateral pull is applied to the
fastener stringers, resultant stress in the locking prong
25 can be transmitted or disposed to the rearward end 39 of
the locking member 13 so as to prevent deformation of or
damage to the locking member 13.
The locking action of the slider 10 is effected by
rotating the pull member 12 to the position of Fig. 7 in
which it is held flat against the slider body and so retained
under the influence o~ tension of the leaf spring 22, with
the locking member 13 being actuated by the pull member 12
to thrust its locking prong 25 into the space between ad-
jacent fastener elements E.
To unlock or release the slider 10, the pull member
12 is raised against the tension of the spring 22, with its
cam 24 urging the locking member 13 to pivot about the stud
28 in a direction in which the locking prong 25 disengages
from the space between the fastener elements E, an inter-
mediate stage of this unlocking operation being illustrated
in Fig. 8. As the pull member 12 is thus manipulated in the
unlocking direction and when it is finally lifted substantially
perpendicularly to the plane of the slider 10, the sloped
portion 29 of the locking member 13 is brought into abutting
engagement with the stop 30, in which position the locking
prong 25 is completely retracted from the path of the fas-
tener elements E. Further rotation of the pull member 12
to the imaginary line position of Fig. 9 beyond the forward
end of the slider 10 does not affect the unlocked posture
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., .
of the locking member 13 due to abutting relation between
-the member 13 and the stop 30.
An important feature of the invention resides in the
arrangement wherein the forward end portion of the locking
member 13 is povitable a relatively large angular distance
so that the locking prong 25 adjacent the rearward end of the
locking member 13 can be located in close proximity to the
neck portion 18 when the pull member 12 is held in its lock-
ing position as shown in Fig. 7, with the results that the
locking prong 25 enters smoothly between the adjacent astener
elements E which have been partly or half coupled; in other
words, the prong 25 projects into an inter-element space
larger than that which otherwise exists between fully coupled
elements E.
Another feature of the invention is found in that the
forward end of the locking member 13, though projecting up-
wardly in the locking position of the slider 10, is accommodated
within the cavity 33 of the pull member 12 so that the over-
all thickness of the slider 10 is held to a minimum, providing
for a relatively low profile slider.
Fig. 6 shows a modified form of slider 10' which is
similar in most structural details to the previously advanced
embodiment, except for the provision of a support stud 28'
which is devoid of the stop 30 and is reduced in width as
viewed in the drawing to an extent which leaves a clearance
or space 40 between its front end wall 41 and the first
arcuate portion 26 of the locking member 13 when the pull
member 12 is in its locking portion. The clearance ~0 deter-
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mines the radius of pivotal movement of the locking member
13 such that the terminal end 42 of the arcuate portion 26
abuts against the end wall 41 of the stud 28' thereby limit-
ing the pivotal movement of the locking member 13 during
the unlocking action of the pull member 12.
Although various minor modifications may be suggested ::
by those versed in the art, it should be understood that
we wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted
hereon, all such embodiments as reasonably and properly come
within the scope of our contribution to the art.
